Remember Me
by M and M Works
Summary: It's Memorial Day in Capeside. Joey's in town for the parade. Pacey's sailing the seven seas. Or is he?


A/N: In honor of Memorial Day, we want to thank all the troops who selflessly serve all over the world and to take a moment to remember those who have given their lives so that we may all live in freedom.

This little fic is set three years after the end of S4. Let's see what Pacey and Joey have been doing instead of the shenanigans we saw in S5 and S6. We hope you like it. Let us know.

*******~***** Remember Me *****~*********  
by M&M Works**

Joey slowed her easy jog to a walk, the sand beneath her feet hard enough to run on but more forgiving than the asphalt of the road. Besides, with the holiday traffic pouring into the cape, she feared her life may be in danger from a distracted tourist ogling the seductive water of the bay instead of paying attention to where they were going.

She rolled her neck and then took turns propping her feet up against a rock to stretch her hamstrings, quadriceps and flexors. Bent from the waist, she spied a flat, round rock that was perfect for skipping. Surveying the churning of the surf, she scooped up the rock and slipped it into her shorts pocket to save for calmer waters.

The jog and stretches had left her feeling warm and fluid and she set her sights on a stand of trees at the next curve in the shore and took off at a brisk pace, increasing her speed until she was suspended in that place between the exertion of the run and flood of endorphins that prompted her to keep going.

Ponytail swinging, she kept one eye on the water, as always; the fantasy of seeing that little blue sailboat come sailing over the horizon tethering her to the shoreline between Boston and Capeside.

Of course, she knew Pacey wasn't on a little blue sailboat; he was on a great big, white sailboat that she had never even seen. And because she had never seen it, she imagined him on the familiar blue craft they had made their home for three months one magical summer.

The stand of trees loomed near and she slowed slightly to take the turn and head back the way she had come. With the turn, she switched the eye she was keeping on the bay, unreasonably pleased at the symmetry and balance of it.

First one foot, then the next; first one eye, then the other.

One of them at sea. One of them on shore.

The fantasy of the little blue sailboat and the inevitable reunion of the sea and the shore, she kept hidden in her heart.

* * *

Bessie, Alexander, Bodie and Joey bumped their way through the crowds lining Water Street, lawn chairs tucked under their arms.

"You should have come down here and saved us a place when you were done with your run, Joey," Bessie declared, a mild accusation in her voice.

"If I had, there would have been plenty of space for us since no one would have been able to get near me until I took a shower," Joey retorted dryly. "Why didn't you send Alex down?"

"To sit still and hold places for us for a couple of hours?" Bessie rolled her eyes. "You obviously haven't been home in a while - he's nothing but a bundle of energy these days. I can barely get him to sit still for meals."

Joey hefted the chair she was holding to a more secure position under her arm. "Why do we need chairs anyway? The parade only lasts 10 or 15 minutes!"

Immediately in front of the bickering sisters, Bodie came to an abrupt stop and set his chair on a (surprisingly) vacant smidgen of sidewalk. Taking Bessie's chair from her, he unfolded it and set it next to his own, saying mildly, "Will this do?"

Alexander thrust his chair at Bessie and she automatically started to unfold it, only to see the back of her son's head weaving down the sidewalk as he hollered, "_Hey, Jason_!" But her look of annoyance morphed into a soft, wry grin as she propped the chair against the back of her own and took her seat between Joey and Bodie.

"It's been so cold and rainy, I didn't think they'd get any of the planters finished," Bessie noted.

"They're beautiful," Joey agreed.

"We're just in time. Here they come." Bodie tipped his chin toward the end of the street where the sound of The Battle Hymn of the Republic blared through the air.

Turning the corner was the Capeside High Marching Band in perfect formation, brass instruments gleaming in the morning sun, the color guard leading the way. Dead center, the American flag unfurled stiffly in the breeze, flanked on one side by the Massachusetts state flag and the Capeside High banner on the other. Behind them, tassel-toed majorettes tossed shiny batons into the air and deftly caught them, creating the pomp and circumstance fitting to present the uniformed ranks that followed.

Veterans marched or rolled proudly in their dress blues, their crackerjacks or their fatigues; young and old faces alike solemn with the memories of those who had not come home. No matter which branch they had chosen, on Memorial Day they moved together as one unit, bonded by their service to their country.

The crowds rose to their feet cheering and clapping, shouts of "Thank you" and "God bless you" ringing out.

Joey sniffed in an effort to keep the tears that filled her eyes from overflowing down her cheeks when she felt Bessie smack her arm and say, "You big sap."

Joey sniffed again and laughed turning to catch her sister wiping her own eyes. "_Me_?"

Watching the last of the veterans turn the next corner to complete their one-block-square circuit, Bodie started folding up chairs, saying, "And that concludes another Memorial Day Parade!"

"I told you we didn't need chairs, Bessie! Now we just have to carry 'em home. We can't even do any shopping or-"

Determined to nip this line of conversation in the bud, Bodie interrupted, "I'll take the chairs if you ladies want to shop. I need to go start the brisket."

Bessie shook her head. "I'll come with you and help. Should we look for Alex?"

"It's a small town, honey; I think he can find his way home."

"So you're gonna do some shopping, Jo? With all these…" Bessie lowered her voice and peered from side to side, "… tourists?"

"I'm just gonna pop into The Spa Shop. Jen loves their coconut lime lotion and asked me to pick some up while I was here. I won't be long. Thanks for taking the chairs, Bodie."

"Hey, I've got chairs!" Bessie protested.

"You have yours and Alexander's," Joey said pointedly.

"Bessie!" The volume of Bodie's voice rose above the squabbling sisters.

Bessie laughed at his frustration. "I'm coming! See you later, Joey!"

* * *

Taking long strides down the dock toward the center of his hometown, Pacey moved quickly and surely through the meandering crowd, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He could almost pretend that this was any other port he'd been in during the last three years because the crowds of vacationers in bright colors and flip-flops looked exactly the same in Montego Bay, Key West and Cancun. The only difference between those places and this one was the beautiful, doe-eyed brunette who was supposed to be here this weekend.

Insides gurgling, he wondered if even at 22 he might spontaneously combust. It was true he was older and - God help him - he hoped at least a little bit wiser than the boy who had sailed away from here after graduation but he was still hopelessly in love with Josephine Potter, and the anticipation of seeing her was killing him.

Though he scanned the crowd for familiar faces, he felt safe from recognition behind his beard. He was here for one reason and one reason only – to see Joey – and he had no intention of becoming embroiled in a Witter family reunion. He'd have some time off at the end of this season and he'd come back then to catch up and visit before the winter season started.

Slipping through the alleyway next to McAllister's Hardware, he took a deep breath when he found himself with more room to maneuver. It was obvious that the majority of the town's visitors had not yet wandered off the main drag. With focused determination, he continued to weave his way through the streets of Capeside, his only thought to reach the Potter Bed and Breakfast when the door of a new boutique opened, the scents of perfumed soaps and lotions wafting out onto the sidewalk.

There before him, as if conjured by the magic of his imagination, was Joey, peering into the gift bag she held open.

Pacey stared at her for a moment, mesmerized by the sight of his dreams materialized in the flesh, then realized he should probably breathe.

Joey looked up as she heard his gasp and said, "Oh, excuse me" as she moved out of his way and turned to walk away.

Somewhat deflated by her reception, Pacey cleared his throat and called, "Potter!"

Slowly turning, Joey's confusion was replaced by astonishment as she grasped the identity of the tall, bronze, bearded man with the duffel bag.

"Oh my god! _Pacey_," she whispered and flung herself across the space between them and into his arms.

With only seconds to react, Pacey dropped his bag and caught her, the solid feel of her causing his chest to tighten with a surfeit of emotion.

Clinging to his neck, Joey had buried her head in his shoulder, hiding the tears that had stormed unbidden through her. She mumbled unintelligible questions and declarations against his sodden shirt that sounded vaguely like "why", "how" and "when" while Pacey chanted her name like a prayer.

Curious but smiling onlookers created a path around them as they stood rooted to that spot on Bay Street's sidewalk completely lost in the reality of each other's presence.

"Jo…," Pacey smoothed his hands down her back. "Joey… hey… shhhh… don't cry… hey…" Raising his hand to her face, he got a finger under her chin and encouraged her to look at him.

Scanning his face, Joey's eyes watered afresh but she laughed through them. "What happened to your face?"

Pacey rolled his eyes. "Nice, Potter. This is the big, romantic homecoming hello I get?"

Ignoring his question she tugged on his beard. "Is this why you never send me any pictures?"

"You wanna talk about my facial hair _now_?"

"Well, how can I be sure you're even you?" She sniffed through a watery laugh. "Do you have any identification?"

"I'll show you some identification!" He growled and lowered his head to hers and, once again, their surroundings disappeared as their lips slowly rediscovered each other.

Separating minutes later, but arms still around each other, Joey pursed her lips and tipped her head to the side, "You're back!"

Pacey grinned, "I'm back."

"God, I missed you," she suspired happily; letting her eyes run across his face still taking him in, reassuring herself he was really there and not a wish. Then reality finally settled in at his surprise presence, she shook him slightly in reproach. "Why didn't you let me know you were coming? Who else knows you're here? Aren't you usually in Australia this time of year? How long can you stay?"

Pacey's grin grew wider at her onslaught of questions. "All will be revealed, my love. Let's get off this sidewalk. We can't be good business for the…" he paused to look at the door, "The Spa Shop."

Reaching down to grab his bag, he kept one arm around Joey's waist and tucked her against him as they began to walk leisurely along the sidewalk. With his chin resting on top of her head he drawled, "Should I be worried about what you've got in that bag, Potter? Do you even know what a Spa Shop is?"

He chuckled as the words "bite me, Witter" rolled off her tongue.

* * *

Gathered on the porch after a satisfying meal of smoked brisket and all the trimmings, Pacey lazily toed the floor to set the swing in motion on which he and Joey sat.

"…and that's the short version. My boss has to be in New York this weekend so I hitched a ride up here with one of the crews that are going to race in The Regatta tomorrow. I heard it was postponed a few weeks due to rain." Pacey pulled on a lock of Joey's hair still swept up in a ponytail.

Bodie nodded. "Great way to start the season though. We couldn't have planned it better. The town council is talking about moving the race permanently to Memorial Day weekend."

Ignoring Bodie's conversational direction of local politics, Bessie focused on the proximity of the two erstwhile lovers. "How long are you here for, Pacey?"

All her attempts to get Joey alone and pump her for information had been shrewdly avoided; Joey had been glued to his side since she had come home with him in tow earlier.

"Oh, I'm going back with the crew after the race on Monday," he answered easily.

Bessie watched Joey's face for a reaction.

Seemingly unfazed by the brevity of their time together, Joey's half-smile made an appearance. "I've gotta be back to Boston Monday night. I have a few loose ends to tie up on campus and I have to work Tuesday night."

The crease in Bessie's forehead deepened. Something was up and she was determined to find out what! Throughout dinner, her probing questions had gotten her nowhere. Frustrated, she exploded, "What's going on with you two?"

Joey looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I seem to have missed something. Three years ago, you…" she paused to point at Pacey, "left here after breaking my sister's heart and no one has seen you since. And you…" she paused again to look pointedly at Joey, "spent the entire summer before college in a puddle of tears and haven't said a word about Pacey Witter since! Now you two are curled up on the swing together like an old married couple! I want to know what's going on!"

Pacey looked sheepish but Joey had no intention of letting Bessie browbeat them into sharing the saga of their journey back to each other. "Well, it's true that no one has seen Pacey but it would be false to say that _no one_ has _heard_ from him."

Bessie's eyebrows reached for her hairline. "Annnnndddd?" She prompted.

"And nothing. We've been in touch. Now he's in town and we're spending time together."

"You know, I seem to remember the last time you two kept your relationship a secret it caused huge problems – so I suggest you spill." Crossing her arms across herself, Bessie waited expectantly.

Joey laughed. "It was no one else's business then and it's no one else's business now. If I had made better choices then, we could have avoided a lot of heartache our senior year and the debacle that was prom. As it is, we're both adults and not obliged to broadcast our personal lives. I assure you, Bess, the minute we have something to share, we will. Right?" Joey looked at Pacey for confirmation to find him staring at her, mouth slightly open, eyes shining with admiration. Smirking, she raised her eyebrows at him.

"What? Yeah! Right. What she said," he scrambled, finally looking away from Joey to catch Bessie grinning at them.

"You know we don't have any vacancies this weekend, right?" Bessie asked.

Joey nodded slyly, "Oh I _know_ that. C'mon, Pace, wanna take a walk?"

* * *

His arms wrapped around her, Pacey held Joey from behind as they stood on the banks of the creek where it widened and flowed into the lake. She absently stroked his forearms covered in coarse sun-bleached hair. "I'm glad you're here."

Chin perched upon her shoulder; Pacey's breath disturbed the tiny hairs on her ear as he murmured, "Me, too, Jo. I feel like we won the bonus round or something. You think it'll be harder this year while we're apart?"

She shook her head. "No. Spending time together this weekend just gives us a new memory, right? Or maybe it will be harder. I don't know. I already miss you all the time. How can it be harder than it has been?"

He spun her around to gaze at her earnestly. Dropping his voice to an imitate timbre, he promised roughly, "One more year, Jo. Just _one_ more. Then you'll be done at Worthington and we can go anywhere we want, do anything we want. Our future's out there. And whatever it is, it's gonna be great."

She smiled at him brightly and nodded, determined not to mar their short time together by imposing the ache of their impending separation on it. "It is, isn't it?"

Brushing his thumb delicately across her cheekbone, he whispered a kiss across her lips. "We should head back before it gets dark and we get eaten alive by mosquitoes."

"Yeah, you're right." Stepping back, she smoothed down her shorts and felt the flat rock in her pocket, which she had transferred from her running shorts this morning. "Hang on a sec." She extracted the rock and bending forward slightly; she curled her index finger around the curve of the shale, held it parallel to the water and with a snap of her wrist let it fly.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Pacey watched in admiration. "Good one, Jo. You always could beat the pants off of us at rock skipping, although I would've never admitted that when I was 10."

Joey shrugged. "My record is twelve so…," she trailed off. "Pace, right now there's only one person I want to beat the pants off. Let's go, sweetheart."

* * *

Bright moonlight poured through gauzy curtains of Joey's room. Waiting for Pacey to come out of the bathroom, Joey shook out the hair that had been held captive by elastic all day and slid between cool sheets. Her arm tucked behind her head, she debated whether to pose more provocatively but was afraid that if Pacey laughed, she'd be crushed. She had no more experience with boys in this particular area than she did when he left her. At first she'd been too devastated to even think about other guys and by the time her heart had started to heal, she and Pacey had begun to find their way back to each other.

Experience or no though, Joey was older and definitely wiser, much better read and a lot less afraid than she was at 17.

In a wifebeater and boxers, Pacey perched on the edge of the bed. "Are you sure you don't want me to sleep on the floor? Or out on the couch?"

"Why, Mr. Witter, are you trying to protect my honor?"

Pacey smiled at her. "I just don't want you think there's any expectation here. I know we didn't plan to even _see_ each other for another year."

Teeth raking across her bottom lip, Joey crooked her finger at him to draw him closer and when he leaned down, she snaked her arms around his neck and fit her mouth to his. With small nips and tugs, she kissed him thoroughly letting her tongue play over the edge of his teeth and in the warm recess of his mouth. Fiercely, she whispered against his lips, "Let's make a memory that's gonna last for a year, Pace. Please?"

Neither willing nor able to deny her, he grasped the back of his wifebeater and pulled it over his head, shucking his boxers at the same time. She scooted sideways to make room for him and lifted the sheet. Realizing she was already naked, he groaned at the sight of her. "Good God, Jo, you're beautiful."

She opened her arms to him and they finally lay together, skin to skin. Tentatively, they held each other, trembling with years of pent up longing.

"Let me look at you, sweetheart." Pacey eased away from her a bit and openly admired the high firm curve of her breasts gracing her lean, lithe frame, tapering down to slender hips and miles of leg. She was the same and yet different. The years of running had given her tone and definition that she hadn't had in high school. He noticed the curls between her legs were neatly trimmed and briefly wondered if she had taken to reading Cosmo. "So beautiful." His long fingers smoothed warmly over her - touching, soothing, igniting.

Eyes lowered, Joey shifted self-consciously, the bloom of a blush pinking her cheeks but as his thumb trailed across her hip, a primal urge instinctively kicked in and she arched toward him.

Propped on one elbow, his lips followed the path of his fingers, his tongue savoring the salty sweetness of a sun-drenched day on her skin. He could feel her fingers maintaining contact by stroking his shoulder, brushing his arm, gripping him wherever she could reach while he took his time tasting her. By the time he had explored her thoroughly - but for the one place she wanted him most - he could see the sheen of liquid desire between her thighs.

Pleased with his effect on her, he sought her gaze to find her darkened eyes almost hidden behind lids half-closed and her full lips parted with heavy breaths. Pausing, he revisited the heat of her mouth to capture her small moans.

She held his cheeks between her palms, the hair beneath them strange; softer than she expected. A fitting accessory to his current lifestyle; he was an adventurer, an explorer, a sailor, a scholar of the world. Yes, she thought his beard suited him right now.

Nudging him, she followed his lead and gently pushed him onto his back so she could do some exploring of her own. He complied and threaded his fingers through her hair as she hovered above him, absorbing the changes in _his_ physique. He was leaner through the hips and broader through the shoulders; no longer a boy but a man. Three years at sea had given his muscles definition and he was deep bronze everywhere a bathing suit didn't cover. In addition to his facial hair, the hair on his head was shorter but lighter.

Starting with the unruly mess of curls of hair on his head, which were the same sun-bleached blonde on the ends that she had noticed on his arms, she worked her fingertips through the tangles, massaging his scalp. Bending forward she ran the tip of her tongue around the shell of his ear, remembering that used to drive him wild. Pacey moaned and tightened his grip on her hair but she resisted his urge to pull her to him and continued to mark him with tongue and fingers, mimicking his actions of moments before as she headed southwards down his body.

Mouth on his hip, she smiled when she saw the effect she had on him, standing proudly only inches from her face. She couldn't resist a taste and flicked the smooth head of his erection with a lick. Emboldened and hungry for him in a way that she couldn't have fathomed before, she engulfed him to the sweet sounds of his groans. Her head bobbed slowly, delighting in the familiar feel and taste of his desire on display – for her, only her.

"Holy s-shit… Jo. Oh my… god," Pacey hissed between clenched teeth. Caught between the craving to continue _this _experience and his overwhelming need to be inside her, he sat partially up and gripping her arms to interrupt her intense concentration. "Later, Jo. Save that for later. I need to be inside you. Now."

Disrupted mid-suck, she stared at him with dawning comprehension. Closing her mouth, she climbed on top of him, crushing her soft breasts against the hard planes of his chest, the hard nubbins of her nipples on fire with sensation. After a condom was quickly found, unwrapped and donned, she captured his mouth - the give and take of love overcoming them as their lips fused together.

"Ready, sweetheart?" Pacey whispered as he flipped her onto her back, her coffee tresses fanned out messily on the pillow below him.

Eyes shining with love and want, she nodded and spread herself open for him, legs gripping his hips.

Eyes wide, they held each other's gaze as he slid into her wet heat.

He was well and truly home, and for a moment his throat closed on the flood of feelings and memories.

She watched the play of emotions across his face as he held still above her, and she smoothed her palm over his cheek. "Pacey. Shhh… it's okay. I know. I love you, too."

He nodded in acknowledgement and couldn't prevent the tremor of his arms. This girl, who had become a woman while he had gone off to become a man, was his heart, his life. His voice thick with unshed tears, he rasped, "_Always._"

Then she surged against him and the dance of love began the slide and thrust that bodies don't forget, accompanied by the music of moans and whispered promises, forging a new memory until they collapsed together in a tangle of sheets, limbs and hearts.

* * *

Joey perched on the edge of the sink, watching Pacey trim his beard and mustache. "Will you ever shave it off?"

"Do you want me to?" He looked away from the mirror to glance at her face as she answered.

Pursing her lips, she pondered. "I don't know. It's growing on me." She laughed loudly at the pun, delighted with herself. "Get it? Growing on me? Huh?"

"Get your degree, Jo. You'll never make it in show business."

Finished with his ablutions, he angled himself between her legs and braced his arms against the vanity counter, crouching down slightly to smile at her affectionately.

She picked up the discarded hand towel and dusted his face for loose hairs. "There."

"How about this, Jo? When I get back, you can shave me." He shrugged one shoulder. "It'll be a symbol of our new beginning."

"I'll think about it. Those whiskers have some interesting… fringe benefits I never imagined." She blushed at a memory.

Pacey waggled his eyebrows and grinned. "Reaaalllly? Well, we have the rest of our lives to decide. Whaddaya say, we wait and see?"

Winding her arms around his neck, Joey counter-offered, "Why don't we go make some more memories?"

The smile in his eyes belying his stern face, Pacey whined, "You know, I don't think I like this turn that our relationship is taking here. You have no respect for my feelings, we never talk anymore."

Joey laughed, "Where have I heard that before?"

Laughing, too, Pacey kissed her nose and slid her bottom off the counter. "C'mon, Potter. If you wanna make more memories, you're gonna have to feed me, woman. And I think I smell bacon."

Joey rolled her eyes in fake irritation. "If you must." She tugged his hand until he looked her in the eye. "Just promise me one thing?"

"Anything."

"That we'll always make lots of memories."

"So that's what the kids are calling it these days, huh?" He teased. At her slap, he laughed and pulled her into his embrace. "_Always_, my love. We'll make countless ones. That I can promise you."

******* The End** *****

**Do You Remember ****  
by Jack Johnson**

Do you remember when we first met? I sure do  
It was sometime in early September  
Though you were lazy about it, you made me wait around  
I was so crazy about you, I didn't mind

So I was late for class, I locked my bike to yours  
It wasn't hard to find, you'd painted flowers on  
Guess that I was afraid that if you rolled away  
You might not roll back my direction real soon

Well, I was crazy about you then and now  
The craziest thing of all, over ten years have gone by  
And you're still mine, we're locked in time  
Let's rewind

Do you remember when we first moved in together?  
The piano took up the living room  
You played me boogie-woogie I played you love songs  
You'd say we're playing house now you still say we are

We built our getaway up in a tree we found  
We felt so far away though we were still in town  
Now I remember watching that old tree burn down  
I took a picture that I don't like to look at

Well all these times they come and go  
And the road don't seem so long  
Over ten years have gone by  
We can't rewind, we're locked in time  
But you're still mine  
Do you remember?"


End file.
